Death sentence upheld in Wakulla prison murder
Photo special to the Outlook
NSF Staff Report
The Florida Supreme Court upheld the conviction and death sentence of a former inmate at Wakulla Correctional Institution who strangled his cellmate in 2017.
Justices unanimously rejected arguments raised by Scottie D. Allen, who is now an inmate at Union Correctional Institution. Allen, now 43, was convicted in the October 2017 murder of Ryan Mason.
The Supreme Court cited evidence last Thursday that Allen planned the murder for weeks after finding out that Mason had been convicted of child molestation. Allen represented himself during the trial, with a circuit judge ultimately agreeing with a jury recommendation that Allen should be sentenced to death.
The appeal to the Supreme Court raised a series of issues, including that the judge erred by not renewing an offer to appoint a lawyer for Allen before the penalty phase of the case. The Supreme Court said the judge should have made such an offer but “cured” the error by later asking Allen about the issue.
“In his responses to the trial court, Allen consistently represented that he would have waived penalty phase counsel and that he would have continued to exercise his right to self-representation had the trial court renewed the offer of counsel before commencing the penalty phase,” last Thursday’s opinion said.
“The trial court found that Allen’s decisions, including to waive counsel, were knowing, voluntary, and intelligent.”
Allen had been an inmate at Wakulla Correctional Institution after being convicted of second-degree murder in a 2002 Broward County case, according to information on the state Department of Corrections website.
